Turnpike case another blow to confidence

Good thing former state Senate Democratic leader Bob Mellow is already in jail. Otherwise, he'd face telling his family, friends and former constituents all over again how he didn't do it.

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poconorecord.com

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Posted Mar. 17, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Posted Mar. 17, 2013 at 12:01 AM

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Good thing former state Senate Democratic leader Bob Mellow is already in jail. Otherwise, he'd face telling his family, friends and former constituents all over again how he didn't do it.

Mellow, who used to represent part of Monroe County, is serving time in a federal prison in South Carolina for misusing state-paid staff to get himself and other Democrats elected. Now he's under scrutiny along with three former Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission officials and others for a "pay to play" game that allegedly had contractors making political campaign donations in exchange for lucrative contracts.

Attorney General Kathleen Kane said earlier this week that the officials abused their office to line their own and contractors' pockets, also using the ill-gotten contributions to influence political campaigns. The 44-month investigation turned up back-door cash gifts, travel and entertainment.

The AG's office alleges Mellow helped supporters and contributors get business and pushed turnpike employees to support him politically and to raise money for various political campaigns.

Another former turnpike employee, Melvin Shelton, 81, of Philadelphia, allegedly acted as a virtual employment agent for fellow Democrats, using his political connections to pressure the commission to hire other Democrats or even rehire bad employees who'd been axed for theft or other transgressions.

All this will have to wind its way through the courts. But it sure makes for a sober reminder of how history has shown that a certain percentage of the population, from low-wage workers to high-ranking elected officials, will commit illegal acts to advance themselves or others. Our system of checks and balances — a legislative, executive and judicial branch — helps keep transgressors in check.

Certainly not all elected or appointed officials are corrupt. But as this case shows, the temptations are rampant, and opportunities to do the wrong thing abound.

Mellow already personifies a dismaying example of how, the higher up someone goes, the more opportunities there are to do the wrong thing on the taxpayers' dime.

The turnpike case represents another sour blow to faith in government.